Facebook is testing Google Now–like Cards for mobile

Users on Facebook spend plenty of time updating their whereabouts on the platform, but a new mobile feature might help that platform talk back. On Wednesday, reps for Facebook said that the company is testing a new feature for its iOS app that would surface information cards — similar to those from Foursquare and Google Now — based on user behavior.

Facebook cards would bring up information on a variety of data points found within Facebook, including check-ins, photos, and interactions with Open Graph. The cards would pop up over the Newsfeed once the update is posted. For example, checking in to a showing of Neighbors on Facebook at your local theater might bring up friends who have recently seen or talked about the movie. Or a check-in to a restaurant with friends might bring up photos of you and them from past outings.

The feature is clearly a sophisticated expression of Facebook’s Graph Search technology — which has been finely tuned to incorporate a variety of data points on the platform, including status updates and individual posts to friends. However, it doesn’t seem as if the cards, at least as they’re being seen now, contain much rich information in the way that Google Now does with its traffic alerts and updated sports scores.